The Question Advancement
by WeBuiltThePyramids
Summary: Bernadette's always been the one to lead Howard forward in their relationship.  But this time he's the one to take the leap.  Howard/Bernadette, based on speculation for ep 4.20. Implied Howard/Penny friendship.


**This may have spoilers for The Herb Garden Germination. Bill Prady said that one of the three current couples will be getting engaged. My guess is it's Howard/Bernadette. So this fic is about that. No specific spoilers.**

**DISCLAIMER: If I owned the show, Howard and Bernadette would be getting engaged on Thursday. But even if they do, I still don't own it, it just means the writers and I have similar ideas. :)**

Howard and Bernadette's relationship was odd.

Looking at it one way, they were dysfunctional, more so than Leonard and Penny were the day they first met. Howard's usual techniques for picking up women failed miserably on her. Things he found funny, she didn't understand, or she found to be cruel or insensitive. He was attached to his mother, and yes, Leonard was right when he said that some people claimed that Howard loved Mrs. Wolowitz "too much." But then, at the same time, they worked better than any of their friends did. They had their share of problems, but they worked through them.

* * *

><p><em>Are you gonna kiss me or not?<em>

Yes, he hadn't initiated their first kiss. Their first half – dozen kisses, actually, were started by her. She always made the move, and afterward he always kicked himself because she'd given him the signal, it was always there, but he always hesitated. He'd waited for her to ask the question before he offered any sort of answer, even if the question was just as easily asked by him.

Then, of course, he'd overcompensated for that by asking her to marry him after three dates.

But he'd gotten past his fantasies, and they continued going out. For a while. They never slept together, and looking back at that he realized he was missing signals there too, but he'd always been tentative, afraid of screwing this one up. Had they had sex before Bernadette demanded a commitment, he wouldn't have realized what she meant to him, but she forced him to think about it. And he loved her for that.

_Are we gonna do this, or what?_

He supposed she was asking him that question from their third date on, but he never realized it. Their relationship ended in late April of 2010 without them ever consummating it, and after they broke up, Howard felt empty. He knew that the end had been his fault, and although he acted shocked later, he did know, deep down, that she had been ready to be with him completely, and he'd always chickened out because he wasn't sure if he could read her or not.

_Are we gonna do this, or what?_

No. They weren't.

But then, months later, they had a second chance.

Penny, wonderful Penny who had introduced them in the first place - Leonard was right, he had to ask, but she didn't have to say yes and she certainly didn't have to pick out Bernadette but she did, and Howard managed to convince her to talk to the friend that he'd hurt and ask if she'd give him a second chance. And she did. When he talked to her at the Cheesecake Factory and found she hadn't been seeing anyone either, his heart told him that they'd remained single because_ they were meant for each other_ and once they'd dated no one else measured up. And this time, he could read her, her face, her expressions, and the hidden meanings in her words.

_I think you know I like you a lot, but you're about to miss your shot._

He shot at the buzzer, from the three – point line.

Swish.

* * *

><p>Since the reunion, they hadn't been without their problems. He'd become extremely jealous of Glenn, her ex boyfriend, and his behavior that day and the following one at the science panel made him deserving of the description "complete and total ass."<p>

He'd been a baby, nearly literally, about moving out of his mother's house. It hadn't lasted. He was back that very same night, still as reliant on her as ever, and Bernadette hadn't been happy about that. She loved him, and he loved her, but there were always these barriers, these things holding them back.

Then he got an idea. An idea he'd tried long ago, and it hadn't worked. But things were different now.

The idea was a good one, this time.

Once again, it was thanks to Penny that the thought had entered his head.

They were in her apartment, him, her, Sheldon, Bernadette, and Amy because Leonard was over at Raj's with Priya and Howard and Sheldon were beginning to feel bad about not hanging out with Penny. Bernadette was telling a story about an experiment gone wrong in one of her classes, and Howard was looking past her to the television, where Penny had this country music channel or something on, muted, and Howard heard Bernadette's voice in the background while he read the lyrics on the screen.

_And I knew if I wanted this thing to last, _

_Sooner or later I'd have to ask for your hand._

_So I took a chance._

_I bought a wedding band and I got down on one knee._

Howard shook his head slightly. Bad memories!

Memories of what he'd done, long ago, and it hadn't worked.

But things were different now.

He looked over at Bernadette. He loved her. She loved him. And they weren't perfect, but they always worked through their issues.

So Howard went and got a ring. He brought it home and put it in his dresser drawer. He was terrified. This was a big step, and it was a step he honestly thought he'd never take. He'd never honestly believed that there was a future Mrs. Wolowitz anywhere in the world.

But somehow, she'd always been there. And now was as good a time as any to ask her to join him in life.

He closed the dresser drawer and his eyes fell on the picture that rested just above it. It was the two of them at a theme park, standing next to the height stick, jokingly double – checking if they were tall enough for the ride. They were both smiling, she at the camera, and him at her.

_I think you know I love you a lot. _

_I think we got a real good shot._

This time he'd be the one to ask the question.

**The italicized lyrics are to Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not?" It's a really sweet song. Even if you're not a country fan, listen to this one. :D**

**Oh, and a review would be nice, too. ;)**


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